Favorite Worst Nightmare
by specter17
Summary: The characters of Mortal Instruments go to high school. Eventual Clary/Jace, though their first impressions of each other are less than perfect...
1. Chapter 1

It was pouring outside. I hovered under the protection of the awning that arched over the entryway of St. Xavier, silently thanking God for the very construction I had cursed for the past week. I bit my lip anxiously. The obvious option – taking a taxi – was out, since the second it starts drizzling all of Manhattan engages in an unamusing game of musical chairs. And I wasn't exactly far from the subway, but I wasn't exactly close either. I glanced down at my t-shirt. White.

I don't think the whole Girls-Gone-Wild look really suits me all that well.

For fuck's sake. I can't just stand here for the next hour. That's what I get for staying in the art studio for so long, I thought sourly. I knew I should have just left after my last class, but there was something undeniably soothing about the simple task of charcoal against paper. I'd rather worry about the effects of chiaroscuro than the fact that my mom had more suitors than she knew how to deal with while I, meanwhile, had zero.

I squared my shoulders resolutely. It was only rain. And a bit of thunder and lightning. My plan was to speed-walk to the next nearest awning when I spotted the open taxi, the warm yellow light on top of the vehicle lit up like my own personal savior. Forgetting any sense of dignity I might have previously possessed, I dived into the car like it was my last hope.

I mean, it was.

My relief, however, was short-lived. Just as I was mentally congratulating myself on my triumph, the door on the other side opened and a tall, lean guy slid smoothly onto the fake leather seat beside me. His damp blond hair gleamed like tarnished brass. Drops of rainwater flew towards my face as he shook his hair out of his eyes. He looked at me, surprised. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Me?" I squawked indignantly, relocating my speech. "I got here first. This is my taxi, if you haven't noticed. Brooklyn, please," I called to the driver in the front.

"No, it's not. It's mine." He turned to the driver. "74th and Madison."

I turned back to look at him. "Are you serious? Why are you even still in here?" My initial appreciation of his…well, his sculpted cheekbones and full lips and gold eyes was dissipating quickly. The eyes in questions were currently full of mocking disbelief. He was probably shocked I hadn't fainted at the sight of him, let alone have the audacity to keep my own taxi.

Arrogant bastard. I took a deep breath, willing myself not to explode. It really was the cherry on top of a fantastically horrible day. "You have an umbrella." I pointed to the bundle of black nylon that laid in a small puddle at his feet. "I don't."

"Your observational skills are astounding. I'm fascinated, please continue," he deadpanned.

"Shut up," I snapped. He raised an eyebrow lazily as he regarded me with mild interest. "My point was that I need this taxi more than you. Besides, what happened to chivalry? Aren't you supposed to gallantly offer me this taxi when you see that I'm ALREADY SITTING IN IT?"

"Chivalry's dead, babe. Sorry." He grinned insolently. Irrational anger pulsed through me.

"Wasn't aware that decent human behavior died along with it," I retorted. Without thinking, I reached over and pushed him towards the door.

It was like trying to push a statue. I huffed in irritation. Stupid, perfectly carved biceps. I hated them.

"If you wanted an excuse to touch me, you should have just asked," he said, unmoved. The taxi driver snapped his fingers. "Hello?" he asked in a strong Russian accent. "Where are we going?"

"Brooklyn," I said immediately at the same time the boy said "The Upper East."

"BROOKLYN."

"THE UPPER EAST!"

"You stupid idiot –"

"Me?! You're the one who–"

"That's it. Get out," the driver announced. We looked up, temporarily distracted. "What?" we snapped at the same time. "Out, out, out! I don't have time for this!" the driver ordered irritably, flapping his hands in a shooing gesture.

"But –"

We stared as the taxi raced off. "Now look what you've done!" I shouted, fighting back the urge to actually stomp my foot. All I want to do is jump in the shower and stand under the hot water for a good twenty minutes.

"That was at least as much your fault as it was mine," he shot back as he opened his umbrella with a single fluid motion. He craned his neck to scan the street for approaching taxis.

"There aren't any more," I snapped as we ducked back under the awning after a few minutes of fruitless searching. "That was the only one."

He shot me a withering look. His black tee was clinging to his V-shaped torso. A single drop of water slid down his cheek. He pulled out his phone and quickly tapped out a text. "Hugo's on his way," he informed me, sliding the device back into the pocket of his jeans.

"Hugo?"

"My driver," he answered absently.

Unbelievable. "Why didn't you just use Hugo in the first place?!"

He shrugged. I wanted to throttle him. "There's something seriously wrong with you."

"I know. Normal people just don't look this good," he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "Ever heard of modesty?"

"It's overrated." A sleek black Lincoln town car rounded the corner and idled at the curb. He hitched his backpack over his shoulder and took off down the steps without so much as a parting word. Stopping just before the door, he turned back towards me. "You coming or not?"

He was so annoyingly confident. I was tempted to refuse, but the call of the warm interior of the car was too strong. He grinned crookedly and opened the door as I reached the car. "After you, milady," he said, gesturing towards the leather interior. "How's that for chivalry?"

I avoided looking him in the eye and scrambled awkwardly inside, knowing he had a full view of my denim-clad derriere. "Enjoy the view?" I asked dryly as he settled in beside me for the second time. He peeked at me from underneath long dark blond lashes, not bothering to fully turn his head to face me. His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Very much so."

I squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. "To Brooklyn, Hugo," I announced. Hugo raised an eyebrow in the rearview mirror as if wondering who the hell the tiny redhead barking instructions was. "Jace?" he asked.

Jace. That must be his name, I mused. "We're giving –" He turned to me. "What's your name again?"

"Clary. Clary Fray."

"Clary," he repeated. I liked the way my name sounded on his lips. "We're giving my friend Clary here a ride home."

"We're not friends."

"Ouch," he said lightly, leaning back against the seat as the car began to move. "Is that really the way to treat your savior?"

"My savior? You're hardly my knight in shining armor," I pointed out, steadfastly ignoring the fluttering in my stomach at his proximity.

He smelled really good. Like soap and sunlight and -

"I'm giving you a ride home, aren't I?" said Jace, interrupting my thoughts.

"After you stole my taxi and got us kicked out," I reminded him.

"Oh right," he said conversationally. "Oops." We lapsed into a brief silence. Rain pattered against the windows. "So why were you still at school?" I asked.

"Detention. What's your excuse?" I shrugged. Jace raised an eyebrow. "Wait, don't tell me – you've seen me around the hallways and you waited for me to come out just to glimpse my god-like physique."

"Hardly," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I haven't even seen you before. I would have remembered," I added without thinking. His grin widened, revealing straight white teeth with a slight chip in his upper incisor. "I mean, what with the injuries I would have sustained under the weight of your massively overinflated ego."

Jace laughed. "It's not overinflated. It's well-deserved."

"I'm sure," I said sarcastically. The car bumped as we hit a pothole, and I was thrown into Jace's side. His muscles were lean and hard under the thin fabric of his tee, and he automatically put a hand on my knee. "Sorry," I said quickly, straightening up as he withdrew his hand. My thigh burned where his hand had been. My cheeks flamed. I always hated how easily I blushed. My face was like a mood ring. It was humiliating. "Take a right here," I said loudly to Hugo. The car slowly pulled up to the curb. I reached for the door. It had finally stopped raining, I noticed. "Um…thanks for the ride," I said awkwardly. He merely nodded. It was impossible to read his expression.

"See you around, Fray."

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	2. Chapter 2

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" – Jace Lightwood," Simon said scathingly. I jumped in surprise. Had I said his name aloud by mistake? Simon plowed on, not noticing my overreaction to his name. "Look at all his fawning admirers. It's sickening." I followed his gaze to the crowd of freshman huddled a few feet away from where Jace leaned nonchalantly against his locker, chatting with a gorgeous dark-haired girl. I scowled.

"Why do you care so much? Actually, how do you even know him?"

"I _don't_ care," Simon shot back, his tone betraying him. "I have a few classes with the guy. I can just tell he's an ass. He reeks of pretension and Armani," he said disgustedly as if "Armani" was synonymous with "moldy cheese." Simon paused. "You've been staring at him all day."

"No I wasn't," I said quickly. "I was…that light fixture is really, um…bright. I mean…" My voice trailed off lamely as I floundered. "Is he new?"

"Yeah," he answered sullenly. He nodded towards Jace and the girl, perking up slightly. "That's Isabelle, his sister." There was admiration in his voice. "And that –" he motioned towards the tall, slender boy who had just joined them – "is their brother Alec."

It really isn't fair that some genetic pools are so much more blessed than others.

Suddenly, Jace looked over and smirked. Isabelle looked slightly annoyed as Jace leaned in and whispered something to Alec. He turned to stare at me, a dark eyebrow raised appraisingly. "Why are they staring at you?" Simon asked. I shrugged. The bell rang, and everyone began scrambling to shut their lockers and get to class.

"Fray!" Jace touched my elbow and I jumped, startled. "Wait up."

"What?" I asked dumbly. We both stopped. "Come to apologize for stealing my taxi yesterday?"

Jace snorted. "I'm very sorry I gave you a ride home in my car when you were stranded in the rain."

"Hello?" Simon called from a few paces ahead just as I opened my mouth to retort. Though he admittedly had a point, in a twisted, annoying kind of way. "Clary, we're going to be late for chemistry."

"You better go," Jace said, watching me. "Don't want to tarnish that perfect attendance record now, do we?"

I bristled. Where did he get off treating me like some goody-two-shoes? "Hardly."

"So you wouldn't object to some…alternative activity?" His honey eyes sparkled devilishly.

"Dude, seriously?" Simon exclaimed. We both ignored him. He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Fine. See you in class, Clary," he said pointedly, ignoring Jace as he headed off.

"Yeah," I answered Simon distractedly without turning around. I stared at Jace. "But to answer your question?" I pretended to consider. "No. I wouldn't object." He raised his eyebrows. I had surprised him. "But seeing as it's with you, I'll make an exception." I turned on my heel and headed after Simon. I felt Jace's eyes burning into me, but I didn't turn back.

I tried to slip quietly into the classroom – I had arrived just after Simon – but it was impossible. As soon as I opened the door, Valentine stopped speaking and every head swiveled towards me. "How kind of you to join us, Miss Fray," he said dryly. "Detention, after school." His dark eyes glittered with malicious pleasure. Asshole. "It looks like you'll be working alone today since everyone who arrived on time has partnered up already – " I glared at Simon, who looked back at me guiltily from his station next to Isabelle. The door swung open behind me. I took a step back as Jace ambled in. What is he doing here?

Valentine consulted his clipboard. "Mr…Lightwood, is it?" Jace nodded. "Excellent. You'll join Miss Fray here after school for detention. Tardiness is not tolerated in this class."

"Tardiness is not tolerated in this class," Jace mocked under his breath in an exaggerated baritone. We slid into the only empty station left at the back of the room. "He's such a prick." I stifled a grin. "It's your fault we're in this situation in the first place," I whispered back. "Now I'm stuck in detention."

"Well, look at the bright side."

"Which is?"

"You'll be there with me."

I rolled my eyes. "Charming."

"I try."

Valentine droned on about proper procedure and other boring stuff I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to. Suddenly, everyone started snapping on the universally unflattering lab goggles (the ones that always leave stupid groove marks in your forehead) and slipping on protective aprons. Of course Isabelle still looked like a model, I thought sullenly to myself.

"Alright, let's do this shit," Jace said. He looked down to consult the instructive sheet in front of us. I quickly glanced at his profile. Even with the goggles on, he looked like a designer sunglasses ad. He reached for the glass test tubes and began pouring and mixing chemicals. "Pass me the water." I obliged. "You're not that bad at this," I said grudgingly after another moment of watching him. "Please stop with the flattery, you're embarrassing me," he answered as he deftly measured out some liquid in a beaker. "I suck at chemistry," I admitted. He glanced up at me from beneath his lashes. "I'm no Picasso, so let's call it even."

After a beat, his words sank in. "How did you know I like to draw?" I asked. Jace pulled a small, tattered black velvet sketchbook out of his back pocket and slid it towards me. "You left this in the car yesterday." I seized it gratefully. "I was looking for this! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I asked, flipping through to make sure none of the pages were missing or damaged.

"I tried to. That was before you so eagerly brushed me off no less than thirty minutes ago." He carefully poured half the contents of one test tube into another.

"Oh." I considered this. "Wait, did you look through it?"

"Of course," he said in a "duh" tone.

"You shouldn't have! That was private!" I hated showing people my sketchbook.

"There were no sketches of me. I was very disappointed."

"I just met you. Also, I wouldn't draw you anyway," I lied.

"Why not?"

"That would require me to actually like you as a person."

His lips curled into a crooked smile. "Isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?" he asked in a low, throaty voice. I swallowed. Before I could formulate a proper response, Valentine rounded the corner. "And how are we doing here, Mr. Lightwood?" Valentine asked.

"Oh, just fine," said Jace, mirroring Valentine's tone. He grabbed the eyedropper and squeezed a few drops of the substance into the contents of the beaker. Valentine's eyes widened. "MR. LIGHTWOOD, DON'T YOU DARE ADD – " He didn't get to finish his question, because the beaker exploded, volcano-style. I jumped back just in time as the bubbling liquid spilled over the edge of the table, splattering Valentine's shirt and seeping into his shoes. "DETENTION, MR. LIGHTWOOD! DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH!"

"What if I pay for your dry-cleaning?"

"GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM!"

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"So did you do that on purpose?" I asked Jace as we walked out.

He glanced at me sideways and grinned. "What do you think?"

I had to laugh. "A month's detention, though. Was it worth it?"

Jace shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. I kind of just wanted to piss him off."

"Well, you definitely succeeded."

"At least we got out of class early." Valentine had ordered Jace, along with everyone else to clear out of the room due to the mess. "And I'm not the only one who has detention," he pointed out delightedly. I groaned. "It was your fault I was late!"

He shrugged. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're responsible for your own actions and therefore the consequences following those actions?"

"Shut up. Hasn't anyone ever told you _that_ before?"

"Touché." We had reached the cafeteria. "Jace!" Alex called. "Over here." Jace took off as Alec shot me a look that made it clear the invitation did not extend to me. I went to go sit at my usual table with Simon, wondering what it was I did that made Alec dislike me so much. I hadn't even officially met him yet.

"Hey," Simon greeted me, his mouth full of pizza. He swallowed and pushed his glasses up. "So I'm sorry about chem…"

"It's fine. You looked pretty cozy with Isabelle, anyway," I teased as his cheeks turned dark red. "So are we still on for Pandemonium tonight?" I crunched into an apple. "I can't wait." Simon looked uncomfortable. "Oh yeah. About that…" I paused mid-bite. "I kind of invited Isabelle. Ow!" I had just punched his arm. "What?!"

"Great, so I'll just third-wheel with you two!"

"Clary, come on! It'll be fun." I glowered at my sandwich.

"Simon?" Isabelle appeared at our table. Simon cleared his throat and sat up straight. "Pandemonium around 11 tonight, right?" Simon nodded, bobbing his head comically. "Alec and Jace want to come too. Is that cool?" Simon looked at me, but I refused to make eye contact. "Uh…sure." Isabelle smiled. "See you tonight." She sauntered off in her stiletto boots as Simon stared after her in admiration.

Great. So…detention. With Jace. And then Pandemonium…with Jace.

Oh God.

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